Ex-AFAN Boss Seeks Solution To Farmer’s Challenges

A former chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Dr. Tunde Arosanyin has urged the 37th FAO Conference to use the opportunity to proffer lasting solution to the challenges confronting farmers worldwide.

Arosanyin made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja recently.

He said: “The way forward is to improve on the climate through afforestation, direct distribution of farm input to farmers at subsidised rate and improved infrastructure in the rural areas”, he said.

He decried the high poverty level in Africa and Latin America, noting that many people lived below one dollar per day.

He also noted that food production was dwindling amid increasing population.

Arosanyin identified the most critical challenges facing the agricultural sector to include the use of crude farming methods, poor research funding, insincerity of government officials. Others are unstable policies, poor loan facilities and the absence of extension services.

According to FAO statistics, 925 million, representing 13.1 percent of the total world population of seven billion people, went hungry in 2010.

Of the figure, sub-Saharan Africa led with 239 million, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean with 53 million, Near East had 37 million while the developed countries accounted for 19 million.

Meanwhile, the published agenda showed that the conference would consider reports of regional conferences and those of its technical committees.

It would also deliberate on problems confronting commodities, agriculture, forestry, world food security and fisheries as well as governance, legal, administrative and financial matters.

Our correspondent reports that a major highlight of the conference is the election of a new director-general as the tenure of the incumbent ends in December.